Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Bugbog Sarah-do

I saw on TV how Davao’s city’s mayor Sarah Duterte Manny Paquiaoed a court sheriff. It was so hilarious that I almost fell off of my chair. Of course, the incident was not funny, but I couldn’t help my reaction. According to the news, the court sheriff was enforcing a demolition order in Davao and the mayor asked for a two hours delay so that she could be there during the operation. But the sheriff ignored the mayor’s request and instead went ahead with the court order.

The mayor beckoned the sheriff. The sheriff obeyed not expecting that the mayor, a lady, would give him a 123 combination in the face. It was so unexpected that the sheriff didn’t even have the time to evade the punches. It was not a lady’s punch because the sheriff suffered black eyes.

The mayor was under a lot of stress. Her city was devastated by a flash flood that took many lives and destroyed properties. This may explain the impulsive punching of the sheriff but still it was no justification to hurt a person in authority. The mayor is now on leave to facilitate the interior department’s investigation, and I think she was man enough to admit that what she had done was wrong.

I don’t know if the sheriff or any sheriff is obligated to obey or to kowtow to any local executives since sheriffs are court employees. Also, there’s the separation of powers between the court and the executives be it national or local. The mayor’s action is condemned by the sheriffs’ organization and by many others.